B1.1
Structure and Function: Animals vs. Plants
GRADE
3-5
TIME
60 minutes
SUBJECTS
Science, Math, Reading, Writing, Engineering and Technology
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Students will
 Compare and contrast the basic structure and
function between plants and animals.
 Dissect two flowers, make observations and dialogue
with peers, looking for similarities and differences.
 Create a graphic organizer to demonstrate
understanding
MATERIALS
 Flowers – (2) varieties per student pair for dissection
 Flowers – (1) variety per student pair for observation
only
 Magnifying glasses, hand lens, or field microscope
 Handout – Names of a Flower System
 Notecards – 6 per pair of students
BACKGROUND
Structure and function is a crosscutting concept within the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and is
explained as, the way in which an object or living thing is shaped and its substructure determine many of its
properties and functions. Structure and function are complementary properties. The functioning of natural and
built systems alike depends on the shapes and relationships of certain key parts as well as on the properties of
the materials from which they are made. By this age students have had a lot of experience with their own
structures and functions, i.e. their five senses. What do they feel, hear, see, taste, and smell? What helps me
feel, hear, see, taste and smell? In this lesson students will take that knowledge and apply new learning about
the structure and function of basic plant parts. Students are not expected to memorize plant structures and the
associated function, but are expected to apply their understanding that both plants and animals have structures
with functions that aid them in survival.
A sense of scale is necessary in order to know what properties and what aspects of shape or material are
relevant at a particular magnitude or in investigating particular phenomena – that is, the selection of an
appropriate scale depends on the question being asked. For example, understanding how a bicycle works is
best addressed by examining the structures and their functions at the scale of, say, the frame, wheels, and
pedals. However, building a lighter bicycle may require knowledge of the properties of the materials needed for
specific parts of the bicycles. Think about the scale to which your students will be exploring structure and
function.
STANDARD
4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to
support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. Limited to macroscopic structures.
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LESSON 1
B1.2
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1: WHAT IS STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION?
1. Investigating Question: What is meant by structure and
NOTE:
function of an object or living thing? Ask students to make
Best scenario would be to provide each pair
observations about the similarities and differences of their
or small group of students with two different
classmates. Ask them to write down two similarities and
flowers. This will allow them to find
two differences. (Make them physically observable not
similarities and differences between their
flowers and answer the essential questions
inferred observations.)
with greater understanding.
2. Discuss the fact that although each student in the class
is a unique individual with his or her own special
Simple Flowers to Dissect
 Tulips
combination of characteristics, we all have certain
 Lilies
features in common. Now ask students to make a list, in
 Magnolias
their science notebook, of 3 body parts and briefly
 Iris
explain their function. For example: fingers- I use them
 Rhododendrons and Azaleas
to grab, hold and pick up things and also to write and
Complicated Flowers
type (text).
 Daisies
3. Pose this question: “Could we make the same
 Chrysanthemum
observations about plants and animals?” After a brief
 Dandelions
discussion explain that students will have an opportunity
 Sunflowers
to make observations about a few plant species (Might
 Black-eyed Susan
want to use flowers from the garden – look at the plant
parts prior to class to determine whether or not your garden’s flowers would be a good fit for this activity).
4. Have students work in pairs. Share your expectations and pass out the materials listed. Provide your
students enough time to make observations, sketches, notes, etc. in their science notebook. See Teacher
Facilitation below to help guide students through this part of the activity. Optional: Have students use their
phones or school iPads to take pictures that can be printed and placed in their science notebook alongside
their written notes.
Teacher Facilitation
 Explain to students that they will carefully take each flower apart and group its similar parts together.
Suggest that they begin by looking the flower over carefully to see how many different kinds of parts
they can readily see. Caution them that toward the center of the flower the parts are smaller and harder
to distinguish. Remind them to use their hand lenses/glasses/scopes to check for slight differences.
 Ask students to hold the flower upside down and carefully remove the parts, one at a time. Remind
them to work with one flower at a time, working from the outside toward the inside. Have them place
all the like parts together on one index card then count and record the number on the card. Do this for
each flower.
 Next have students line these cards up in order from the outer most parts of the flower to the
innermost parts. Have available several of the same type of flowers that are not to be dissected so
students can refer to the original configuration of the parts.
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
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LESSON 1
B1.3

Have students compare their results by observing the order, groupings of parts, and the number of parts
with other groups via a Gallery Walk. Do they notice any relationship between the numbers of parts?
ACTIVITY 2: EXAMPLES OF STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN PLANTS AND ANIMALS
1. Investigating Question: What are two examples of structure and function for plants and animals? Have
students create a two-tab foldable providing evidence that plants and animals have internal and external
structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction. Use the example below as a
guide. The foldable can be finished for homework. Encourage students to provide:
 2 examples for both plants and animals
 Structures: students may draw, get pictures from the internet, take their own photos, and/or cut out
images from a magazine
 Functions: students will neatly write or type, print out, copy and paste the function associated with the
structure.
 Students will briefly explain in words what their images show. (four complete sentences; one sentence for
each example) (bottom strip-under the two- tabs)
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 1
B1.4
Activity 3: Names in a Flower System
1. Investigating Question: Do flowers have structures and functions they need to survive just like humans do?
Explain to the student that the different parts of the flower have names and specific functions in the plant. Give
each group a copy of Names of a Flower System. Use an information text group reading strategy to review
Names of a Flower System with students. Reminder: Students are not required to memorize or understand the
function of the plant parts, only to see that there are differences in structures and functions for plants and
animals. Optional: This text discusses parts of the flower. As you are reading with students also allow them to
use their hand lens and a fresh flower to observe the parts you are reading about.
Technology & Engineering Option: Student triads will use LEGOs to design 3 scenes
showing a pollinator picking up pollen and dropping it off at another flower in the garden.
Then students will use a smart phone to record a short “movie” of what’s happing.
Share each movie with the class.
2015© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 1
B1.5
NAMES OF A FLOWER SYSTEM
Flowers come in many different shapes, sizes, and
colors. Although they may look very different, you have
learned they share similar structures that help them
function in the garden just like you have body parts that
help you function and survive each and every day.
Turn over a flower that’s not been dissected and
you will see a little skirt of green leaves around the
base (Instruct student pairs to make this observation).
This lower outermost layer is composed of SEPALS.
The whole group of them is called the CALYX. Before
the flower opens, the sepals protect the more delicate
flower parts inside. Sepals are usually green, but in lilies
and tulips they are colorful and look just like petals.
The PETALS stand out in a flower because their major
function is to attract specific animals to the flower for the
purpose of pollination (Ask students what pollinators
they know of). Petals have different adaptations, colors,
shapes and smells to insure frequent visits by these
specially invited guests, leading to pollination and
ultimately the production of seeds.
Look closely inside the petals and you’ll see a group of
yellow, fuzzy containers on thin stalks. Don’t look too
closely or you may end up with yellow dust on your nose.
That’s POLLEN from the STAMENS. The stamens are
made of a thin FILAMENT which holds up a bigger
structure, called the ANTHER. The anthers are full of
pollen and when open, they release dusty pollen to be
picked up by various pollinators (or your nose). The
pollinators take the pollen from flower to flower, usually
on their legs.
Last but not least, hidden among the stamens is the
PISTIL. There can be just one or many depending upon
the flower type. The pistil is often divided into three parts.
The enlarged base is the OVARY where the seeds
develop. At the end of the pistil is the stigma. It is sticky
making it easy for pollen to stick to it, and pollen on a
stigma leads to seeds in fruits and vegetables!
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
B2.1
The Sun: Feeding Ecosystems Everywhere
GRADE
3-5
TIME
2 ½ hours
SUBJECTS
Science, Reading, Writing
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Students will
 Connect prior knowledge on habitats and
food chains with new observations from a
children’s book.
 Create a food chain, placing habitat
elements in order as energy flows from
one element to the next, placing strong
emphasis on the sun’s role in a food
chain.
 Research the monarch butterfly food
chain.
 Write their own food chain story, modeled
after the story they read and focusing on
the monarch butterfly food chain using
native plants and natural predators.
MATERIALS
 Book: Pass the Energy, Please! by Barbara Shaw McKinney
 Notecards cut in half, 7 halves per small group or pair of
students
 6 pennies or plastic markers per small group or pair of
students
 Books as student resources on butterfly habitat, specifically on
monarch habitats, such as:
o Monarch Butterfly, Gail Gibbons
o National Geographic Readers: Great Migrations
o Hurry and the Monarch, Antione O Flatharta
o Velma Gratch & the way cool butterfly, Alan
Madison
o Monarch and Milkweed, Helen Frost
 Science Notebook
BACKGROUND
The sun reigns as the supreme energy source in habitats around the world. From the sun plants gather energy
needed to make their own food through the process of photosynthesis. Without the sun, the entire chain and
subsequent webs could not exist. Many times we see food chains that start with the producer and not the sun.
Leaving out this essential element can lead to student misconception at the very foundation of the food chain
concept.
Along with understanding the sun’s role in a food chain, it’s also important for students to understand the
symbols used to provide a visual model of these chains. Ask your students to explain what the arrows mean
between the elements of a food chain. Usually students are unable to tell you or they say it represents “eats”.
“Eats” usually works until you get to the producer and the sun, because the grass doesn’t eat the sun. Guiding
students to understand the true meaning of the “arrows” will deepen their understanding of the concept. The
arrows used in food chain models show how energy flows and how it is passed from one element to the next.
Now when students get to the producer and the sun’s energy within a food chain they will exchange the word
“eat” with the words “energy flows from”. For example, energy flows or is passed from the sun to the prairie
grass and then energy flows or is passed from the prairie grasses to the insects, etc.
STANDARDS
5-PS3-1 Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth and motion and to
maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
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LESSON 2
B2.2
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1: FOOD CHAINS
1. Investigating Question: What is a food chain?
2. Write the food chain found in number five below, large on a piece of
NOTE
poster board. Roll it up and put a rubber band around it. You will use it
Create a word bank that’s
when you go outside.
visible to the entire class of the
3. Take students outside and have them bring their science notebook and
words used during your studies.
This can serve as a tool and
a pencil. Read, Pass the Energy, Please!, by Barbara Shaw McKinney.
reminder to use their academic
Before you start reading, ask your students to find the ecosystems file in
vocabulary while writing.
their brain’s life science filing cabinet and do a quick scan. Tell them,
“Keep that content fresh in your mind as I read aloud.”
4. Ask, “What was the main idea of the story?” Depending on the age of your students and where you are in
your studies related to ecosystems, they will say things like, animals, food chains/webs, producers and
consumers. Make note of these words in your notebook and add them to the class word bank/wall.
5. Unroll your poster board and ask students to copy the “list” in their science notebook and describe what they
think it is.
Sun
Grass
Insect
Mouse
Snake
Ask the following questions to students. Students can work in pairs or small groups and then open
it up to a class discussion.
Q1. Describe what you see.
Q2. What words could we use in place of the arrows? Why do you think that?
Q3. What would happen if the sun was taken out of the list? Why do you think that?
6. After discussing the questions, put a name to what students have been describing, if they do not already
know it’s a food chain. Encourage students to develop their own definition and then you can give them to
“book” definition. “A food chain is a linear network of links in a food web starting from the sun and producer
organisms such as, grass or trees and ending at top predators such as, grizzly bears or killer whales or
decomposers.” Along with their definition ask them to write a food chain they might find in their schoolyard.
Give students the opportunity to Think-Pair-Share their definition and schoolyard food chain.
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 2
B2.3
ACTIVITY 2: ENERGY IN A FOOD CHAIN
1. Investigating Question: Why is energy important to plants and animals?
2. Give student pairs or small groups 7 half pieces of notecards and 6 pennies (or any place holder/marker). Ask
them to write one of the food chains from the story, Pass the Energy, Please!, on the notecards. One food
chain link per card, for example,
MOUSE
SUN
INSECT
SNAKE
GRASS
3. Next have students place their cards in the correct order. Use the coins to represent the passing or flow of
energy. Student pairs also need to answer these questions, 1) “What role does the sun play in the food
chain?” and 2) “Why is energy important to plants and animals?” Use a strategy that will allow students to
check each other’s food chains and discuss the answer to the question above.
PASS THE ENERGY, PLEASE! Food Chain options for students – feel free to add to or create your own
1. Kelp and sea-weed, sun, fish, sea urchin, otter
2. sun, grass, buffalo
3. manatee, sea grasses, sun
4. bamboo shoots, panda, sun
5. grasses and tree leaves, cheetah, sun, gazelle
6. milkweed pod (seeds), sun, snake, mouse, owl
7. phytoplankton, Arctic seal, sun, zooplankton, polar bear
8. dead animal carcass, sun, plants, vulture
4. Once students know their order is correct instruct them to write their food chain in their science notebook,
along with the question and their answer found in part three.
ACTIVITY 3: AUTHOR OF YOUR OWN FOOD CHAIN STORY
1. Investigating Question: What do I need to know to write my own
monarch food chain story?
2. It’s time for your students to become the author of their own Pass
the Energy, Please!, mini-story. See note for Activity 3 in the box
above.
3. Explain: All authors have to do research for the books they write.
We need to build our knowledge about the monarch butterfly and
the ecosystem it lives in. Assign groups of students to find
answers to the following questions or have students work together
in small groups to answer the five questions below. Depending on
the age of your students you may want to ask them to come up
with the questions they need answers to in order to write their
food chain story.
NOTE
It will be helpful for students to
have books, computers,
and/or other print and digital
resources to do a little
research for their story. There
are a few selected titles found
under the Materials, but work
with your librarian to find just
what you’d like your students
to access.
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 2
B2.4
Q1. What is the life cycle of the monarch butterfly?
Q2. What do monarchs eat?
Q3. What does the monarch butterfly require to live; what are its habitat requirements?
Q4. What type of climate do they live in?
Q5. Where (geographically) can monarchs be found?
4. Review the writing style in the story, Pass the Energy, Please! Are there any patterns to the author’s style?
Will you copy her style or will you create your own (You might like to provide students with a monarch
template/outline to write their final story in). As a class come with the expectations or use the ones listed
below.
 Main character: monarch butterflies
 Demonstrate how energy flows through the monarch ecosystem
 Show the sun’s role in the monarch ecosystem
 Use facts in your story, i.e., native plants and natural predators monarchs encounter
 Age-appropriate grammar and academic vocabulary
5. Work with the Language Arts teacher to set up a writer’s workshop, giving the students an opportunity to work
through the writing process and illustrations. Students can use online digital storybook makers or even use
PowerPoint to create their story and record themselves reading the story aloud. Provide students with the
opportunity to read their stories aloud (this would be a great book buddy read aloud with younger students)
and post them in the hallways for students to read while they are waiting, or in the school library.
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
B3.1
Cycling Matter and Habitat Loss
GRADE
3-5
TIME
(5) 50 min time blocks plus observation time
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Students will
 Design a model of a closed ecosystem, by
constructing a three layer aquatic, terrestrial and
decomposition biological column
 Make observations, collect data and draw
conclusions about the water, carbon and nitrogen
cycles
 Determine the relationship between biochemical
cycles and living plants and animals.
 Construct arguments from evidence
SUBJECTS
Science, Math, Engineering, Language Arts
MATERIALS
 Science Notebook
 Take a picture of one of your school gardens and print
it out for each student.
 Materials for groups of 3-4 students to create a
biological column – aquatic, terrestrial, and
decomposition systems – reference:
http://goo.gl/SfMQyS - note: please read through the
options provided in Activity 1 and be prepared to carry
out the terrarium project with your students.
 A copy per student: Can You Back that Up? Preparing
an Argument from Evidence
BACKGROUND
Students are playing an active and important role as conservation stewards by constructing a schoolyard
habitat specific to the needs of the monarch butterfly. The Monarch Recovery Garden is a large scale project
with many small working systems. To help students grasp the important role these systems play, they will be
creating a small scale biological ecosystem. This will allow them to examine and better comprehend how matter
cycles through a habitat. The water, carbon and nitrogen cycle are all critically important in a healthy functioning
habitat. It is important for students to have a basic knowledge of these biogeochemical cycles. For a review or
basic introduction to each cycle use:



USGS Interactive Water Cycle Diagram: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle-kids-beg.html. You can
download a printable copy for student to cut out and put in their science notebook.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/146/pdf/gip_146_poster.pdf
University of Climate and Atmospheric Research-Carbon Cycle Diagram:
https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/images/carboncycle.jpg. An interactive game from Windows2theUniverse
can be found at, http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/climate/carbon_cycle.html.
And for the Nitrogen Cycle check out the video at https://youtu.be/xfwZV6rtnvw. A simple diagram can
be found at http://www.realtrees4kids.org/sixeight/cycles.htm
Please note students’ knowledge is basic and they are not required to understand all of the processes
within each phase of the cycles. For example, students should understand that when water droplets
evaporate from the undersides of leaves the droplets turn from a liquid to a gas through a process called
transpiration and the gas is released into the atmosphere. They are not required to understand the chemical
process, structure and function, and details associated with transpiration.
Another function of a healthy habitat is a place where multiple organisms get what they need to survive: food,
water, cover and a place to raise young. In other words, a habitat is home to plants and animals. But, when we
look closer, different living things have different and specific needs for food, water and cover. When two
organisms (any kind of living things) have very similar habitats, their needs and how they meet these needs
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.2
may be distinct, allowing them to live in close proximity to each other without competition. Two birds for
instance, might live in the same tree but eat different foods, have different predators and have different
tolerances to sunlight. The birds live in the same place, but do not fill the same role (called a niche). If
organisms share the same niche, they may compete and limit the number of organisms that can live there.
Competition, over a long time, may lead to greater animal and plant diversity as organisms carve out distinct
niches. In the case of the monarch butterfly, they have very specific habitat needs to support their life cycle. If
your school already has a pollinator garden in place without the specific host and nectar plants for the monarch,
then students are unlikely to see monarchs in this garden.
As students go through the learning activities, work through the process of creating a Monarch Recovery
Garden, conduct monarch citizen science investigations, students’ thoughts and ideas will be challenged. One
strategy to help students effectively discuss their analyses and conclusions is by constructing arguments from
evidence. Constructing arguments from evidence is not a skill for older students. It’s a skill that takes time to
build and requires multiple learning opportunities with the same overarching core ideas. Without details to file
through in long-term memory students will have difficulty formulating an argument to support what they are
reading, writing or observing. Questions that require higher level thinking and push students beyond their
comfort zone, lead to evidence. Having an understanding of specific content is a process that’s rarely, if ever,
linear and happens over time. Students must have multiple opportunities to inquire, observe, ponder, discuss
and reflect. As students work through the learning activities, in the construction and monitoring of their garden
they will have numerous opportunities to gather evidence and defend their thoughts and ideas.
STANDARDS
3-LS4-3 Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well,
some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. Needs and characteristics of organisms and habitats
involved. Systems thinking – interdependence of species. Students can construct arguments for the decline in
pollinators and habitat.
5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, and the environment.
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.3
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1: BUILDING AND OBSERVING A SMALL SCALE ECOSYSTEM
1. Investigating Question: How can I build a terrarium that
NOTE
supports plant and animal life?
The terrarium project will take
2. You can provide students with the terrarium option on
several days to complete. Set aside
page 8 or you can provide students with the following
class time, recess, and/or before/after
investigative option:
school time to complete the terrariums.
 Give your students with the following resources.
After reviewing these resources students are to
provide you with a materials list based on the type of ecosystem they are wanting to build.
o Pillbug Terrarium How To: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqru5x3PP1I
o Teacher Vision: Soda Bottle Terrarium: link to pdf.
o NWF – Make a Soda Bottle Terrarium: http://www.nwf.org/activity-finder/crafts/terrarium.aspx
o Bottle Biology: http://www.bottlebiology.org/investigations/terraqua_main.html
o 2 Liter Bottle Ecosystem Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d6W_eLisQk
o Indiana Expeditions: Bottle Biology: https://goo.gl/KiE08m
3. Instruct students to follow the directions on the method of terrarium instructions they have chosen. Encourage
students (or assign) realistic cooperative groupings, for example, instead of using the term Materials Manager
that student is instead the Lab Manager or instead of being the Recorder/Reporter that student is the
Communications Manager.
4. Upon completion of their terrariums have students answer, Questions Part A below in their science
notebooks.
5. Provide students with a regular and consistent time for them to continuing making observations and recording
the terrariums health status. Use, Questions Part B throughout this time.
QUESTIONS PART A
Q1. List living and non-living types of matter, including solids, liquids and gases.
Q2. How is your model ecosystem similar to and different from your garden ecosystem?
Q3. What are the limitations of your model?
QUESTIONS PART B
Q1. Explain how water is cycling in your terrarium.
Q2. Explain how carbon is cycling in your terrarium.
Q3. Explain how nitrogen is cycling in your terrarium.
Q4. Is your small scale ecosystem a suitable habitat from monarch butterflies? Explain your answer.
Q5. Using your terrarium as a model to visualize this scenario, choose one of the following events
and explain three impacts it would have on systems in your habitat: extreme drought, hurricane,
and wildfire.
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.4
ACTIVITY 2: CYCLES IN THE GARDEN
1. Investigating Question: How does matter cycle through my school garden?
2. Give each student one of the pictures you took of the schoolyard habitat. Have them tape it to the top of a
new page in their science notebook.
3. Take students outside to the garden with their science notebook and a pencil
4. Remind students about the observations they made in their terrariums regarding the water, carbon and
nitrogen cycle.
5. Underneath their picture, students will work in pairs to describe how water,
carbon and nitrogen cycles through the garden. Help students by
Q1. Why is the water cycle
instructing them to focus on a specific part of the garden and not all the
important to plants and
plants and animals in the garden. Provide students with an example if
animals that live in the
needed.
garden?
6. Now students will do an Inside-Outside Circle or Parallel Lines (also called
Q2. Why is the carbon cycle
Tea Party, Face to Face or Ladder).
important to plants and
 Have one partner from each pair move and form a circle with
animals in the garden?
students facing outward. This will be the inside circle.
 Remaining students find and face their partners, forming the outer
Q3. Why is the nitrogen cycle
circle.
important to plants and
 Pose question 1 from the box below. Inside partner will answer and
animals?
outside partner will listen (Have students pause for “think time,”
Q4. What would happen if
then cue them to share).
precipitation was taken out
 Next, partners switch roles – outside partner talks, inside partner
of the water cycle system?
listens. Use the same question allowing for each partner to share
their thoughts.
Q5. What would happen to
 After that, outside circle will rotate clockwise, ending up with a new
monarchs in our garden if
partner.
the carbon cycle stopped
 Now with a new partner, ask question 2.
working?
 Repeat this process for question 3 – 5.
7. Follow up back in the classroom by asking students to answer the
questions in complete sentences in their science notebook.
Engineering Option: Have students use LEGO or natural items found outside to construct a model
demonstrating how matter cycles through the garden habitat. Use the V Model of Systems Engineering to
help students go through the process of design with clear direction.
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.5
ACTIVITY 3: ARGUING IN CLASS
1. Investigating Question: How do I make a claim, supported
NOTE
by evidence that some species survive better in a habitat
than others?
Students’ arguments need to focus on:
2. As students become more involved with their schoolyard
 the types of plants monarch butterflies,
habitat and monitoring and evaluating the progress of their
need for all stages of their life cycle,
monarch numbers, students need to be able to effectively
 the school’s geographic location along the
communicate what they know and what they want to
monarch’s migratory path, and
happen. One skill that will help them is the capability to
 the time of year students are making
construct arguments from evidence.
observations.
3. Place students in groups of three or four. Provide students
with the scenario below and the worksheet, Can you Back that Up? Preparing My Argument from Evidence,
found on pages B3.6 and 3.7. Eventually students and student groups should be able to come up with their
own question, claims and evidence, but for this activity we are providing the scenario and the question they
will write on their worksheet.
Context: In habitats some organisms (like the hummingbird) can survive well, some survive less well (like the
monarch), and some cannot survive at all.
Question: Why are monarch butterflies not coming to our habitat? (This comes from the scenario below.)
SCENARIO – COMMUNITY AND SCHOOLYARD HABITATS
After learning about the importance of community habitats in class we wanted to investigate the types of plants
and animals we had on our school grounds so we could provide habitat for our local wildlife, we were
especially interested in what we could do to improve habitat for our local species.
During the next week we used the Eco-Schools USA Biodiversity Audit to identify the types and numbers of
plant species we had. Next we split into groups to conduct biodiversity audits for the types and numbers of
mammals, birds, reptiles and insects found around the school.
All the groups concluded that our school grounds are boring, very little biodiversity! We had very few trees,
shrubs and other vegetation and since we learned that animals need food, water, shelter and a place to raise
young, we knew we had a lot of work to do.
It was important to our class to provide these habitat elements at school. We wanted the local wildlife to return.
The school is surrounded by concrete sidewalks and asphalt. We actually have very little green space. When
we learned more about community and schoolyard habitats we discovered that lots of pollinators need our
help. So we developed an action plant and set out to provide a schoolyard habitat for the local pollinators.
After more research and working with members of our community we had our National Wildlife Federation
Schoolyard Habitat built – a beautiful pollinator garden! Now we were ready and on the lookout for increasing
numbers of certain pollinators, including the monarch butterfly and the ruby-throated hummingbird. After three
weeks of observations we noticed an increase in the number of hummingbirds that were visiting the gardens.
They were visiting several of our flowers including the Trumpet Creeper and Honeysuckle, Canada Lily and the
Red Columbine. What we didn’t notice were any monarch butterflies. We had a new question to investigate,
“Why are monarch butterflies not coming to our habitat?”
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.6
CAN YOU BACK IT UP? PREPARING AN ARGUMENT FROM EVIDENCE
NAME: _______________________________________________ DATE: ________________________
MY QUESTION IS?
WHAT DO I ALREADY KNOW?
WHAT TESTS AND/OR INVESTIGATIONS DID I CONDUCT RELATED TO MY QUESTION?
THIS IS WHAT I FOUND FROM MY TESTS AND/OR INVESTIGATIONS?
WHAT IS YOUR CLAIM? (Claims are made based on the results of your investigations.)
Adapted from Question, Claims and Evidence, The SWH Template - May be photocopied for classroom use only.
©2008 Lori-Norton-Meier, Brian Hand, Lynn Hockenberry and Kim Wise
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 3
B3.7
WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU HAVE TO SUPPORT YOUR CLAIM?
PERSONAL:
INTERNAL RESOURCES
(other students or groups)
EXTERNAL RESOURCES
(any source that doesn’t come from a member of the class, i.e. books, community experts, internet, videos, etc.)
REFLECTIONS
My ideas have change because:
My ideas have not change because:
Adapted from Question, Claims and Evidence, The SWH Template - May be photocopied for classroom use only.
©2008 Lori-Norton-Meier, Brian Hand, Lynn Hockenberry and Kim Wise
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
B3.8
Soda Bottle Terrarium
Students can make their own mini-environments with plastic soda bottles, seeds, and small plants.
Other materials and the directions are listed below. Small groups may work together on one terrarium
or students can build their own individual gardens.
Note: The directions below can be copied and placed at a special center where all the necessary
materials and equipment are available. Make a chart and assign center times to the students.
How to Make a Soda BottIe Terrarium
You will need: 1 plastic soda bottle with top cut off
potting soil
grass seed
small plants
gravel
water
spoon
plastic wrap
rubber band
What to do:
• Make a layer of gravel on the bottom of the bottle.
• Spoon the soil into the bottle; fill it about 1/3 full (see picture above).
• Sprinkle the grass seed on top of the soil.
• Poke a hole in the soil with your finger.
• Put the roots of the plant into the hole.
• Smooth the dirt in and around the hole.
• Water the plants lightly.
• Cover the top of the bottle with plastic wrap.
• Place a rubber band around the plastic wrap to keep it in place.
Follow-up:
• Draw a picture of your terrarium. Label it Day One.
• Observe your garden every day of the week. Draw a picture of any changes you see.
Label each change with the day. Use the Changes worksheet for your
work.
#272 Thematic Unit—Our Environment
© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
B3.9
Name ____________________________________________
Changes
In each box draw a picture of the changes you observe. Be sure to write the day and date in
each box.
Day 1
Date: _________________
Day ______
Date: _________________
Day ______
Date: _________________
Day ______
Date: _________________
Day ______
Date: _________________
Day ______
Date: _________________
© Teacher Created Resources, Inc.
#272 Thematic Unit—Our Environment
B4.1
COMMUNITY CHANGE
GRADE
3-5
TIME
(5) 50 minute class periods
SUBJECTS
Science, Math, Engineering, Social Studies
LESSON OBJECTIVE
Students will
 Analyze aerial photos to see how land use has changed over time
 Make claims about the merit of a solution to address the decline in
the monarch population.
 Explain how our extraction of natural resources impacts wildlife
habitat.
 Develop a conceptual model that demonstrates monarch habitat
today and what it can look like in the future with community-wide
pollinator restoration habitats.
 Design a physical model to be presented to a variety of community
members, both inside and outside the school building to build
support for the project.
MATERIALS
 Science Notebook
 One inch grid on transparency. At one
for the teacher to use or enough for
each pair of students to have.
 Thin dry-erase markers, two colors
per student pair
 Color copies of the two San Antonio,
TX images. At least one for the whole
class to view on the projector or
enough copies for each pair of
students to have.
 Access to recyclable materials.
BACKGROUND
Our land is changing. Land covered by forest is changing to farmland, land covered by farmland is changing to
suburbs; cities are growing. Shorelines are shifting; glaciers are melting; and ecosystems boundaries are
moving. As human population numbers have been rising, natural resource consumption has been increasing
both in our country and elsewhere. We are altering the surface of the Earth on a grand scale. Nobel Prize
recipient Paul J. Crutzen has said, “Humans have become a geologic agent comparable to erosion and volcanic
eruptions…”
Land cover change has effects and consequences at all geographic scales: local, regional and global. These
changes have enabled the human population to grow, but they also are affecting the capacity of ecosystems to
produce food, maintain fresh water and forests, regulate climate and air quality and provide other essential
functions necessary for life. As citizens, it is important for us to understand the changes we are bringing about
to the earth system, and to understand the impacts of those changes for life on our planet. To learn more about
the impacts associated with monarch habitat loss in the United States and Mexico refer to the introduction,
NWF’s numerous blogs on the monarch butterfly, http://blog.nwf.org/tags/monarch-butterfly/, and in the National
Wildlife magazine article, Battle for Butterflies, https://goo.gl/AZLj7j.
Please note: Providing effective educational content related to climate change, including the loss of habitat and
the peril or extinction of a species is best done in developmental stages that are grouped according to age
levels. These stages are vitally important to environment based education because of the subject’s deep
underlying complexity. The National Wildlife Federation along with the North American Association for
Environmental Education, NAAEE, recommend that content specific to climate change, habitat loss/destruction
and species peril and extinction be carefully taught according to age level. This allows for cognitive and problem
solving development of the human mind and also make sense because the subject inherently requires strong
and effective building blocks of knowledge and skill. Also keep in mind that the size and extent of environmental
problems can seem overwhelming to younger children who do not yet grasp all the possibilities for solutions.
Younger children also are less able to grasp the potential of collective societal scale and action or that
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.2
individuals can make a useful contribution to such large scale challenges. The guidelines created by National
Wildlife Federation and NAAEE are found in the appendix.
STANDARDS
3-LS4-4 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and
the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
4-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources
and that their uses affect the environment.
5-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the
Earth’s resources and environment.
ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1: CHANGING CITIES
NOTE
The goal of this activity is for students to see that as our communities grow we are making certain concessions.
Some knowingly and others unknowingly. As a community grows so does its reliance on natural resources. We
want students to begin to see the cause and effect between habitat loss and our use of energy resources, the
increase in air and water pollution and the increase in pesticide and herbicide use.
1. Investigating Question: How do our needs and wants
impact monarch butterflies?
2. Ask students the questions found in the green box to the
right. Have pairs of students come up with their ideas and
write them in their science notebook. Students should be
prepared to share with the whole class. Debrief as class
and write down students’ ideas on chart paper or other
space where students can view clearly. Don’t spend too
much time here. You will revisit this after more exploration
and investigation.
3. For this activity you will need a two line per inch grid
copied on a transparency. The grid paper is found on
page B46. Students will be looking at change over time.
You can do this as a whole class or if you have enough
resources allow each pair of students to have their own
photos and transparency grid. Share the pictures below.
Q1. Why are monarch butterfly numbers
decreasing?” [habitat loss and
fragmentation, climate and weather
changes, pollution, pesticides/herbicidessome of this was addressed in Lesson 3.]
Q2. “What is the relationship between our
natural energy resources and monarch
butterflies?” [Students should struggle
more with this question. Traditional
instruction tends to separate the physical
sciences from the life science. Here we
are wanting students to begin to see that
there are consequences, intended or not,
to our actions (needs and wants).]
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.3
4. Create a grid on your transparency. Label the X-axis A-O and Y-axis 1-18. Line up the transparency and the
image and use a piece of tape to hold it in place. With a red marker choose 4 random squares to look at
more closely. You will do the exact same thing and mark the exact
same squares for both the 1991 and 2010 images. For example, if
you mark A5, B2, D9 and E4 on the 1991 map, then you will mark
A5, B2, D9 and E4 on the 2010 map.
5. Explain to students that San Antonio is a major “highway” for
monarch butterflies as they migrate into and out of Mexico. Ask,
“What has changed in your squares?” “What could such a significant
change in this city’s geography mean for the monarch”? [Habitat
loss due to loss of green space, loss of biodiversity/the plants the
monarchs rely on (Remember without native milkweed, monarchs
will not be able to make their migrations very far north). Monarchs are having to travel longer distances
to reach safety because of the fragmentation of their habitat.]
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2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.4
KEY
Greens: green space of some type, like park systems, darker greens tend to be forested undisturbed natural areas.
Blues: dark blue-deep waters, such as lakes, rivers and oceans out past the shore and drop offs, the lighter blues are
streams, creeks, and ponds
Whites: represent clouds or smoke if irregularly shaped, but if white and symmetrical then it is an urban structure
Grays: on the ground represent urban areas, including highways, streets, schools, businesses, etc., but if in the sky
above the surface the color represents haze and pollution
Yellows/Browns: represent soil, clear-cut forests and mountains and/or agriculture (crops)
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.5
KEY
Greens: green space of some type, like park systems, darker greens tend to be forested undisturbed natural areas.
Blues: dark blue-deep waters, such as lakes, rivers and oceans out past the shore and drop offs, the lighter blues are
streams, creeks, and ponds
Whites: represent clouds or smoke if irregularly shaped, but if white and symmetrical then it is an urban structure
Grays: on the ground represent urban areas, including highways, streets, schools, businesses, etc., but if in the sky
above the surface the color represents haze and pollution
Yellows/Browns: represent soil, clear-cut forests and mountains and/or agriculture (crops)
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.6
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.7
ACTIVITY 2: The Oyamel Fir Forest
1. Investigating Question: What impact does logging have on the environment and how is logging impact
where monarch butterflies spend the winter?
2. Another example for students to look at is the spread of logging operations, around the overwintering
grounds for monarch butterflies overwinter. The Oyamel Fir Forests of the Mexican Sierra Madre Mountains
are some of the rarest habitat in the world. Students can watch a ten minute video
(https://youtu.be/Sw6Ug6RUPTQ ) about the La Cruz Habitat Protection Project which highlights how the
forest has changed overtime, how community leaders are working together to make change to preserve
existing habitat and plant for the future in hopes of increasing monarch butterfly numbers all while preserving
the needs of the families who live there. While students will see the
NOTE:
obvious changes to the landscape, the habitat loss and
The multi-flow Thinking Maps
fragmentation along the monarch migratory path, what they don’t see
are found on pages B4.8 and
are the minute changes, such as in atmospheric pollution, pollution
4.9. Thinking Maps and
to waterways and ground water, etc.
other graphic organizers are a
3. Talk about the environmental impacts of logging. For
great way for students to
background associated with logging impact see,
demonstrate their
https://goo.gl/uMvSBw. Have students use a multi-flow
understanding and could be
Thinking Map to show cause and effect related to the
used to better understand
relationship between the monarch butterfly and our natural
your students’ line of thinking.
resources.
4. Ask students to reply again to the two questions asked in Activity 1, page B4.2. You could use this as a
post-assessment to see how their understanding has changed or to see what knowledge they have
added.
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2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.8
NAME: __________________________________________________ DATE: ____________________________
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.9
ANSWER KEY GUIDE
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.10
ACTIVITY 3: MODELING BEFORE AND AFTER
Engineering Option: Have student groups create a today and tomorrow model demonstrating how habitat loss is
contributing to the decline in monarch butterfly populations (today) and how engaging the community in habitat
restoration could help to reverse that decline (tomorrow).
Student Question: You know what plants and other habitat elements are needed for the monarch to have the best
chance at survival. What does this look like in your community? In your neighborhood? From your school to the
middle or high school?
1. Investigating Question: What native plants need to be included in our Monarch Recovery Garden?
2. Review with students if needed, what the needs are for the monarch butterfly.
3. Have student pairs or groups conduct a basic site inventory found on pages B4.12 and 4.13. Students will
need their science notebook and a pencil, along with their smart phone or tablet to inventory their schoolyard.
4. Have student groups use Google Maps or Google Earth to pinpoint an area of the community they’d like to
focus on for their today and tomorrow model. Below are three examples. Students can pinpoint their
community or neighborhood focus and then dive in further for a more detailed look at specific points along
their pathway of choice. For example in the following communities where would the best habitat locations
be? What business or neighborhood associations could students engage in habitat restoration? For locations
or areas with impervious surfaces, what solutions can students come up with to create habitat?
5. Resources:
Monarch Way Stations
http://monarchwatch.org/waystations/
National Wildlife Federation Eco-Schools USA – Monarch Heroes
http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-School/Pathways/Schoolyard-Habitats/MonarchButteflies.aspx
Schoolyard Habitats
http://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Create/Schoolyards/Resources.aspx
Community Wildlife Habitats
http://www.nwf.org/Garden-For-Wildlife/Create/Communities/Community-Stories.aspx
Pollinator Pathway
http://www.pollinatorpathway.com/about/
Urban Texas community between a local elementary school and high school.
Community population: 383,000
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.11
Officially listed as an urban city, this local elementary and high school sit on the
outskirts of Philadelphia, PA and could be considered more suburban.
Community Population: 1.57 million
This is a rural community housed on the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Reservation.
Community Population: 580
6. Have student groups design a physical blue print of their
today and tomorrow model and develop a materials list. Use
the sketch from their site inventory to develop their “today”
blueprint. Encourage students to incorporate their LEGOs in
their design as well as natural materials from the schoolyard
and reuse recyclable materials.
7. Allow student groups to find materials they want to use for
their model at home and school and allow time in class,
before school and after school for students to have ample
time to go through the design process and have meaningful
discussions.
8. Display in the library or other common areas. Allow students
to present their projects and conclusions to a variety of
audiences, such as at a staff meeting, PTA meeting, school
and/or city board meeting.
Follow-Up Questions
Q1. What are the limitations of your model?
Q2. What can you do to make your model
come to life?
Q3. What or who do you need to make your
model come to life?
Q4. Besides restoring monarch butterfly
habitat, what other positive impacts will
your project have?
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.12
BASIC SITE INVENTORY: MONARCH BUTTERFLY GARDEN
School Name: __________________________________________________________________________________
Students Names in Group: ________________________________________________________________________
Date Survey Conducted: ______________________
Latitude: _____________________________ Longitude: ____________________________
Talk as a group and come up with a vision for the garden. My Group’s Vision for the Monarch Garden?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Use this site to find your pollinator eco-region using your zip code. http://www.pollinator.org/guides.htm. Pages 18-20 list
plants and habitat hints. Find the milkweed and nectar plants that are native to your region for inclusion in your Monarch
Recovery Garden.
NATIVE MILKWEED FOR MY REGION
MILKWEED NAME
WE HAVE
WE DON’T HAVE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Why is it important to have more than one variety of milkweed? _______________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
NATIVE NECTAR PLANTS FOR MY REGION
NECTAR PLANT NAME
WE HAVE
WE DON’T HAVE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What month(s) is the best time to plant? _________________________________________________________
Why? _______________________________________________________________________________________
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA
THE MONARCH MISSION
LESSON 4
B4.13
What is puddling and why is it important for monarchs? https://goo.gl/7pfC7p
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Sketch the garden or selected site as it looks now. Use symbols to represent trees, plants, walkways, rocks, etc.
Why does the group think this is a good site for the Monarch Recovery Garden? _______________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
SYMBOLS
2016© The National Wildlife Federation – Eco-Schools USA